TIB makes ‘stinging’ reports: Ershad

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has criticised an evaluation of his party’s role as the Opposition in Parliament in a recently published research.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 8 July 2014, 07:27 PM
Updated : 8 July 2014, 07:27 PM

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), a corruption watchdog, published the latest issue of their Parliament Watch report on Monday, evaluating the first session of the 10th Parliament.

In their report, TIB said JP as the opposition was suffering from an “identity crisis”.

Ershad, addressing an Iftar hosted by the party’s south Dhaka unit on Tuesday, said TIB always published ‘stinging’ reports.

“Their report is incorrect,” he remarked.

“You have heard my statements,” he told his party men. “You’ve heard the opposition leader, the general secretary. We have not spoken in support of the government.”

“We strongly criticised the government on the Narayanganj seven murders, Feni murder, power price hike and other serious issues. We have said there is a lack of good governance in the country,” Ershad said.

“TIB doesn’t believe we’re a good opposition because Jatiya Party does not believe in conflict and boycott.”

Ershad said the Opposition, too, represented the people in Parliament and was obligated to work in their interest.

In 2008 election, the Awami League had agreed to leave 48 seats to Jatiya Party, Ershad claimed.

“Then they violated that and put candidates in 17 of those,” he said.

Ershad also claimed before that election he had turned down BNP in favour of the Awami League.

“One day at the dead of the night two leaders came on behalf of the BNP chairperson. They told me the BNP chief was willing to give me anything. They even offered to make me prime minister,” he said.

Ershad said the Awami League’s ‘short-sightedness’ had allowed the BNP-Jamaat evil to manifest.

Senior JP leaders were present at he iftar.